14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is bringing some changes to the way updates are being shipped to users, making specific patches available exclusively via Windows Update.
At this point, updates released by Microsoft are available on the Microsoft Download Center and the Microsoft Update Catalog and Security Bulletins linked directly to update packages on the Microsoft Download Center.
But starting May 10, “some updates” will no longer be published in the Microsoft Download Center, which means that it’ll be impossible to manually download and install them on a Windows PC.
The company hasn’t specifically said whether all security updates will be affected by the change or only specific patches, but this can only be a welcome tweak for Microsoft, as it struggles to keep computers fully patched and protected against vulnerabilities.
No manual installation should anything go wrong
On the other hand, it’s not the best news for users, as manual download and installation was a potential fix for issues experienced with updates that failed to deploy via Windows Update. Without a download link, such a workaround is impossible, so Microsoft needs to improve internal testing before the public release takes place.
“Security bulletins will continue to link directly to the updates, but will now point to the packages on the Microsoft Update Catalog for updates not available on the Microsoft Download Center. Customers that use tools linking to the Microsoft Download Center should follow the links provided in the Security Bulletins or search directly on the Microsoft Update Catalog,” Microsoft explains.
May 10 is the date when Microsoft pushes this month’s Patch Tuesday update, so we’ll keep an eye on how the change is being implemented for Windows users.
As it happens every month, expect critical and important security updates for Windows, Office, and other software components. Windows 10 will get its own share of security patches as well, including cumulative updates for both version 1511 and 10240.
Thanks for the tip, Jeremy!